Finding the Road That Leads Back to Home
by tiny.sakura
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke duke it out in one last battle causing the death of Haruno Sakura, who knew her boys would never stop until one of them died. To fix all of the horrible mistakes they've made, Sakura uses a time-reversal jutsu to change the course of their actions. Only, the world they entered is much too different. Magic! Jinjuriki Sakura! Outcast Sasuke! And...Where is Naruto?
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary:**

**Naruto and Sasuke duke it out in one last battle causing the death of one Haruno Sakura, who knew her boys would never stop until one of them died. To fix all of the horrible mistakes they've made, Sakura uses a time-reversal jutsu to change the course of their actions. Only, the world they entered is much too different. Magic! Jinjuriki Sakura! Outcast Sasuke! And... where the hell is Naruto?**

* * *

The cries of the two brothers on Team 7 were loud and their attacks were vicious. Blood spatter and torn clothing littered the ground they near obliterated. One wrong move, one misstep, and it was all over for either one of them. They had won the war, they had beat Kaguya, they had secured damn peace for the world, and now what? Were they really going to fight like they had nothing on the line for either one of them?

Tears sprang out of the eyes of the sole female on their team. "They'll never stop… will they, Kaka-sensei?" Thick tears threatened to spill from the rosette. She turned her big green eyes to face the only other member of Team 7, the only other person who knew the pain that they had all gone through.

Hatake Kakashi, in all his wisdom, in all his effort to make peace with the Team 7 of the past and the Team 7 of the present, was at a loss for words. There was simply nothing he could say. Was he supposed to tell her that everything would work out in the end? That the two idiots would come to their senses and quit their battle and just live peacefully? It was pointless to lie at this point. They could have all died at any point of this war, a war even he, a survivor of the Third Shinobi War, couldn't fathom possible. He wished for peace between his team as he had done many times before.

Before he could reply any sort of nonsensical comfort to the one hurt most by their fighting, she took off. "Sakura!" he shouted. His body wouldn't cooperate with his mind. He was too exhausted and too mangled to sit up at this point. He watched her back with glassy eyes and knew that she was right. They would only stop if one of them died, and it never mattered which. But he was their _sensei_. He was supposed to protect his team from the evils of the world, even if it was a battle between teammates. He knew, and he fucking hated that he knew, that her sacrifice would not be in vain. She would be the one to stop them. She was the only one who ever could.

With newfound vigor, Haruno Sakura ran, and she ran for _their_ _lives_. Screw any world that would leave her without the two boys she loved with everything she had. One of family, and one of love. She wouldn't be left behind, even in death. Pink eyebrows furrowed as she pushed herself to her limits and even beyond. She would love them for all eternity, and dammit they needed her.

She saved Sasuke from his darkness when his curse mark first activated. And she would save him now. She tried her best to never let down the blond who invaded her dreams she had over and over again. But not this time. This time, she would save their souls from their own clouded judgments and they could move on with their lives. She knew what she was doing and she knew that they all needed it. A wake-up call in life, a goodbye in death. That would be her legacy if this damned idea of hers found a way to work out.

Neither one of the two fighting boys heard her rushed footsteps, heard her silent prayers that after this… after this everything would go back to normal. She didn't have enough chakra to save herself, but she could knock some sense into them.

Neither one of the boys saw her until she flash-stepped in front of both of them. Her smile, genuine. She knew what this meant before they could even register to stop their attacks. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, the three of them would be together until the very end. Recognition flashed before the raven and blond haired boys' eyes and they knew what they were going to do, they knew that it was too late to call back their attacks, they knew everything and nothing all at once.

She didn't even shout or scream in agony when Sasuke impaled her in the chest or when Naruto's attack went through her stomach. Her smile was the last thing either boy had seen before the light went out in her eyes. It was instant death, they both knew it. It didn't mean that it hurt any less. It didn't mean that either felt anything but guilt and remorse.

Naruto held onto her body with everything he had, screaming her name over and over again. He didn't even remember their last real conversation. She confessed her love for him a while back, was it real? Or did she just want to go after Sasuke herself? Naruto loved her, loved her as if his life depended on it. He regretted leaving her when he left to train, he wouldn't dare think of her pain when he had to leave. Hell, when he found out that Kakashi-sensei had left her to her own devices he knew how much loneliness she must have gone through.

Her parents had died during the chunin exams, and she never once mentioned it to either of them. It had been Sai who informed their leader and Naruto of their deaths. It seemed that he had caught her once or twice crying to herself, something she begged him not to mention. None of the members of Team 7 or even Team Kakashi had parents still alive, and she knew that she would be preaching to a choir. She held back those feelings for all of them. She showed them all so much strength, always hiding her fears and weaknesses. Why did death have to claim her so?

Sasuke looked at his hands after he had dropped to his knees. It must have been some sort of irony of the gods when it started raining the second their bodies hit the earth below them. He remembered her love forcing the damned curse mark on his neck back during the chunin exams. He remembered her small and weak threats of alerting the guards when he tried to leave. He remembered her when they were younger, before the massacre, when her blush would turn his face red and the tips of his ears pink. He remembered trying to kill her so many times. Why did he have to succeed this time?

"Naruto…" the raven-haired teen began. His voice cracked all over the place, he couldn't keep his feelings inside. He killed the one girl he had loved. The one girl he would do anything for was laying in his best friend's arms just three feet away from him.

The blond's wails almost drowned out Sasuke's call to him. Tears just wouldn't stop coming for the Kyuubi container, "...w-what is it?" His voice was failing him, he had used it so carelessly in the fight, shouting out attack after attack. And now his best friend, the love of his life was resting peacefully in his arms. He cupped her cheek with his right hand. Dull green eyes and a stupid smile graced her face. She had faced him in the end. She had jumped in front of them and she had given her last smile to him. _Him_, of all people. Shouldn't Sasuke have gotten it?

"Her body…" his voice trailed off. He recognized those markings and the fuinjutsu that came with it. It had been a scroll he found in Danzo's office, he knew what she had done. "The writing on her body," his voice wavered by his own tears. He hadn't cried in so long. She, and only she was truly worth the tears.

"What does it mean?" Naruto's voice shook with the overflow of emotions. He really should have studied Fuuinjutsu like Jiraiya had tried to teach him. Did he have anything left to live for? Her sacrifice was too great for even his own heart. Her life wasn't worth both of theirs, not even combined.

"She used," Sasuke couldn't find the words to finish his sentence. He bowed his head to the floor underneath him, tears overflowing, leaving him with heavy sobs. She had made the ultimate sacrifice for all of them. Soon, the world they knew, they know, they remember… She gave her life for a cause they all needed. The last words he spoke before the world fell unconscious were for her.

"Thank you, Sakura."

* * *

**This story will hopefully update once every two or three weeks, depending on how much writing I can get done. I'm trying to keep the chapters at a 3,000 minimum, but we'll see how that goes. I really want to know what you guys think! **

**I don't have a pairing set up for this yet, but if you have some suggestions then I'd be happy to listen to them! Thank you to all of my personal followers for sticking with me throughout all of my writing progress. I'm currently rewriting Magic so hopefully, we'll have better and newer chapters there! Thanks!**

**Reviews give me life!**


	2. A long way from home

Sakura knew the sacrifice she had made all those years ago. She was now 5, in a Konoha that she never knew could have existed. The world around her was different and she didn't know whether she liked that or not. But this life she now lived… It wasn't hers to have. The jutsu wasn't supposed to end up like _this_. She wanted to go back to her parents, to their civilian home, to work her ass off to become a great ninja once again. This life… It wasn't hers. It was Naruto's.

"Sakura-chan!" a brash red-head called out to her. Sakura sat still in front of her bedroom mirror, brushing her waist length long hair. It was just as long as her mother's. "Sakura-chan if you don't listen right this instant I'm going to come up there and drag you down the stairs by that collar around your neck!" Boy, she was loud.

"Kushina-chan, darling," Minato tried to calm down his wife. He knew that his rosette daughter had her off days. She had far away looks in her eyes that he had only seen with seasoned ninjas, with those who had gone through the third war that ended barely a decade ago. How could she possibly have that look? "Sakura-chan will be down in one-" he was cut off before he could finish.

"I'm coming, mama!" Even his daughter's voice resonated throughout the house. They were definitely mother and daughter. Loud and louder, they could probably be twins in regards to their temperament. Of course, Sakura had pink hair and Minato's own baby blue eyes. In a certain light, her eyes could even pass for a light mint color.

Her footsteps were loud coming down the stairs, just like a regular child's. She tried her hardest to keep her war life and this life separate. At times she could even forget where she had come from, was it wrong to feel this happy? So she had taken Naruto's life, that just meant that he had taken hers, right? Well, it was what she hoped for at least. She had barely been out of the house as is. No one looked at her with the hatred that they had given Naruto in her old life... Did she even deserve this happiness?

"See, love?" He rubbed the back of his neck in an anxious movement. He definitely didn't want to face either of their wraths before his meeting with the council today. He hated hearing Shimura's damn horrible ideas about pushing out the Uchiha's even more. Ever since the escapement of his wife's Kyuubi when Sakura was born, the council blamed the Uchihas for its release.

What happened that night had stunned his wife, himself, and those ANBU who were now sworn to secrecy. For all of the horrible stories his wife had told him about the Kyuubi, he seemed… rather _tame_. He seemed surprised upon his release, but he refused to attack Konoha or any neighboring lands in exchange for being completely sealed into their daughter, Sakura. Even more, they Kyuubi had found a way to keep Kushina alive. And she argued that he was a power-hungry monster who hated her with a rage that couldn't be contained. Was the Kyuubi that was once inside her the same one that was inside his little Sakura?

He worried that the faraway look she had occasionally adopted was only because she was an only child. He couldn't bear to imagine what that monster was putting her through. It wasn't fair in any sort of sense. All he wanted was his child's happiness. Wasn't that a father's only wish?

They had tried to spoil her rotten. Ever since she was one and a half it was like she was a completely different person than their happy and bubbly child she once was. True, she had only been 18 months old at the time, but they worried about how the village felt with her as _its_ container. They had seen the monster when it was dragged out of Kushina, he had seen what a horrible personality it could have.

Its nasty threat of attacking innocent villagers for not being completely sealed into Sakura was a horrible thought. With what the villagers saw that night, with what they could have heard... it was no wonder why some of the older generations looked at his angel with distaste and distrust. But hell if it was going to happen on his watch! He was the Yellow Flash and her mother was the Red Hot Habanero. Nothing could stand in the way of their love for their daughter.

Still, it left a sour taste in his mouth when he thought about it too hard.

Sakura happily skipped down the stairs, "what are we doing today?" Her tone was polite and friendly, not at all matching the feelings he had about his wife taking her to visit the Uchihas.

Mikoto and Kushina were best friends, and having to keep them apart for so long was hard and a difficult choice to make. It was rumored that it was an Uchiha who released the Kyuubi and was bent on setting him to create massive chaos. When the beast did no such thing, the rumors died down about the Uchihas being evil. But still, he was not one for letting rumors take over the village.

Mikoto and Kushina had still met and had tea together, always gossiping about the world around them and dreaming about how their children would turn out. Mikoto was having a hard time trying to conceive a child so when Kushina got pregnant so easily it took a huge chunk out of the proud Uchiha matriarch's esteem. But still, Mikoto was steadfast in having a child who the Uchiha elders tried to kick out as her own. She claimed he was a prodigy and that he was the sweetest child imaginable. It wasn't much coming from a clan that ruled with no emotions, but her kind heart had taken to this small child.

Uchiha Sasuke, he was around Sakura's age, just a few short months older. He was half Uchiha and half civilian. His mother had gotten pregnant on a mission in Kiri and she decided to give birth to him in Konoha. His skin was a tanned color but his eyes, face shape, hair, they were all obviously Uchiha traits. His mother had died in childbirth and he had no one. Mikoto begged the elders to let her have him. They had almost gotten it their way until Fugaku had stepped in and said that he stood by his wife's decisions.

It was the Uchiha clan that the mother and daughter duo were going to see today. It was the first time Kushina was stepping foot within the clan's compound walls for over five years. Mikoto and Kushina silently agreed to meet elsewhere as to not cause problems in the village. The other clans still had a hard time working with the Uchiha clan's strict and old-fashioned ways. Even the Hyuugas were much more advanced in taking away the drastic measures of separating the main branch and side branches of the family.

"We're going to visit one of mama's best friends in the Uchiha district today. I was told that she has a son around your age. Doesn't it sound like fun to play with someone your own age?" Kushina patted her daughter's head in a kind and loving way.

"Only if he isn't a dic-" before Sakura could finish Kushina slapped her hand over her daughter's mouth.

"Finish that word and you're toast!" The redhead cried. "Who the _hell_ taught you those words?" Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

Minato sighed heavily. Sakura definitely picked up on his wife's foul mouth. It was a wonder she spoke any other words besides the few _'tame'_ ones, he had named them. He watched the sparks fly between his two most precious people and agreed he needed to get out of the house unless he was in the mood for dodging practice. Sakura was too young for that, for now. And he dreaded the day she would become old enough to suffer under his wife's wrath.

The grandfather clock in the corner of the front room chimed two o'clock which snapped all three of them out of their thoughts. _Shit_, he was late for his meeting and Kushina and Sakura were late to leave the house. He wrapped the cloak around his shoulders and threw on his Hokage hat and quickly left the house. They didn't call him the Yellow Flash for nothing. He would be in his meeting with just a few seconds to spare.

Kushina handed Sakura the straw hat that matched her floral white sundress that was appropriate for this time of year. The two slipped on their sandals and walked, hand in hand, over to the Uchiha district.

"Be polite," Kushina reminded her daughter. Not that she was ever impolite outside of the house. Sakura was practically a little angel when out in public. She knew that she was the Hokage's daughter, and the whole village knew her as such too. After all, there were no other petal-pink haired girls with whiskers on her cheeks in town. ...or anywhere else for that matter. "These people take manners very seriously, okay?"

Sakura nodded in understanding. The rosette waved politely to the people walking around them. People in Konoha were always on the move, always headed to or from someplace. No one ever seemed to relax. Of course, that's all Sakura ever wanted to do. She needed to form a plan as to how to find Naruto and Sasuke. She reasoned that maybe Sasuke still had his luxurious lifestyle and it had only been Naruto and herself that had changed. She didn't even dare try to ask the Kyuubi who seemed to be always quiet in her stomach. Perhaps he was sleeping?

Kushina waved to the anxious Uchiha guards manning their stations by the entrance. Sakura's blue eyes looked around in wonder. She had never been to the Uchiha district when it was alive and thriving in her old life. They had always seemed so intimidating and she was only a civilian child. What would she even be doing there?

Sakura chewed her pink bottom lip in stressful situations like this. Would Sasuke remember her? Would he hate her for the sacrifices she had made? Would he be grateful for being able to stay by his family's side?

She barely registered her mother's knock on the door until the door swung open and revealed a well put together woman with long black hair and kind eyes. This was not how she remembered the intimidating Uchiha clan. Or maybe this was how Sasuke's mother had always been.

"Welcome in, Kushina-chan and Sakura-chan!" Her voice was beautiful, soft, and melodic. A very stark contrast between Kushina's powerful and commanding tone.

Sakura couldn't help but compare the two. Still, she rather preferred Kushina's voice. The Namikaze's was warm like the home she had gotten used to all these years. Could she even go back to her regular life after this? Would she miss them too dearly?

"Thank you so much for having us, Mikoto-chan!" She bowed slightly, politely, and forced Sakura's head to do the same when she noticed that she was staring off into space again. A part of her worried if anyone would catch her looking like that and worry about her. Would they think she was being abused? Would they think that the Kyuubi was tormenting her and trying to get her to turn her back on the village?

Sakura coughed to give her mother a hint to get her hand off of her head. "It's nice to meet you, Uchiha-san." She smiled brightly. Maybe she would see Sasuke today and everything would change for the better.

Mikoto laughed politely, "My, my, Sakura-chan, you don't have to be so polite." She ushered them inside and sat them down in the living room for tea. "Besides, if you call me Uchiha-san, others might turn as well. Wouldn't that be confusing?" The matriarch's nose crinkled in a cute fashion to show her distaste for the address. "Mikoto would be just fine, dear."

Sakura smiled warmly at her kind tone. Maybe this life _could_ change for the better. "Mikoto-san."

"Oh, my little Sakura is just so cute!" Kushina openly gushed. She had always wanted a girl while Minato was steadfast in wanting a boy until they practically adopted his Team 7. One boy took greatly to Minato and Kushina and she knew that he filled his heart with warmth and joy. It was too bad that he didn't come around too much anymore. Not after Sakura was born, at least.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Mikoto's twinkle of a laugh chimed throughout the room. "Sasuke-kun! Come in here please!" There were light shuffling sounds of footsteps upstairs coming down the steps. "Oh! There he is!"

Sakura saw Sasuke in a way she hadn't seen him before. His skin was a dark tan, darker than she remembered Iruka-sensei's to be but lighter than Killer-Bee's. He still had the same old duck-butt shaped hair, but his eyes weren't filled with the light she remembered in their youth. Had this world been unkind to him? Still, a smile graced Sakura's face as she waved her hand over to welcome him. "I'm Namikaze Sakura!" she cheerfully greeted. 'Haruno' almost slipped out of her lips as 'Namikaze' still tasted foreign in her mouth. She had to get used to it quickly if she were to make the most out of this life.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the tanned boy stuck out his hand for her to shake. It felt all too forced for the rosette's taste but she knew better than to question it. This Sasuke was already different. But she couldn't let that get in her way of changing the future. She had promised herself that everyone would have a better life here. She wanted all of her boys to feel less lonely.

Still, sitting in the Uchiha main household it felt nice knowing that the Uchihas weren't as distrusted in this life, in this world. Maybe Sasuke would be able to keep his family this time around. Things were always looking so hopeful in this life, Sakura couldn't help but let a smile grow on her lips.

"Sakura-chan," her mother spoke happily. "Why don't you and Sasuke go outside and play together?" Kushina desperately wanted to catch up with her best friend, it had been much too long since their last visit. After today, they could keep coming back and vice-versa. Oh, what a good day today was going to be.

Mikoto nodded towards her son, "Go ahead, Sasuke-kun. We'll be inside for now. We'll come to get you when it's time for an afternoon snack, alright?" Her smile was soft but neither Kushina or Sakura noticed the slight tense appearance it had. She waved them off gently and Sasuke led Sakura outside.

"Do you have a garden?" Sakura asked. She knew it was girly, but she knew that there would be less prying eyes there. She could talk to him one on one and not have whispers being spread around.

Sasuke nodded at her request, he was slightly baffled at her. No one had ever looked at him with such kindness. Her bright blue eyes left him actually wanted to have more of her attention. And when he saw her confusion at his clan's secret looks and whispers followed by an angry face, he thought that maybe he really did have an ally in this world.

But he knew, with everything in his heart, he would never see her again if she said anything to his parents. His parents knew how the rest of the Uchiha's looked at his dark skin compared to their porcelain tones. Sakura was like him, not quite dark, but at least more sun-kissed than his family. _Family_, could he even call him that? The sneers, the false attitudes, the institutionalized racism, everything. He could barely stand to be within the clan walls. At least within the main house, he was shielded somewhat. He always had someone whom he had somehow pissed off. But Fugaku was only so bad and Mikoto was decent enough.

He tried not to get his hopes up with the Hokage's daughter. He could still hear the whispers his clan spread about the way Namikaze Minato ran the village. Maybe, he could find solace within this girl.

While they neared the gardens Sakura shot out to inspect all of the colorful blossoms and blooms. Her vegetable garden and climbing trees had nothing on this. There was a freaking pond. A pond! How could something so beautiful be so abandoned? "Sasuke-chan!" Sakura called warmly. She motioned him over with her hand, letting him know she felt comfortable in his presence.

"Hn," he grunted but followed anyways. Did this girl not realize who he was? It almost hurt to think about her turning her back on him and leaving him to fend for himself. Not that it would matter, anyways. But, still, he wished for just one good thing in his life. He saw her pointing to one flower, "what is it?"

"It's a wild cosmos flower," Sakura smiled. She remembered her old childhood days with Ino. She stood up for Sakura when her parents told her to not confront anyone. She was shy then, only having books as friends, but here came Ino. She chased away the bullies and defended her friend and brought up her confidence. There was no way she was going to let those memories slip by this time. They won't fight over a stupid boy anymore. She refused to fight and ruin a friendship that had been so precious, over something so petty this time around.

So, the cosmos she held between her fingers would provide her in starting this new friendship, she couldn't even bring herself to pluck it from the ground. She smiled fondly at its light pink petals, the same shade as her hair, the same flower Ino and herself had bonded over. Maybe it could start with Sasuke that way too. Maybe they could bond over flowers. An idiotic idea, truly, but it never hurt to try. "This flower is called a cosmos, it's my favorite."

She smiled so kindly at him he could feel his face warm. Thank god his skin was too dark to show such a thing. Sakura made him feel something different. Something besides the anger, and the hatred, and the air of indifference he tried to emit all his life thus far. Uchiha Sasuke fell for Namikaze Sakura that day. In love? Maybe. But in friendship? Definitely.

* * *

**I'm seriously crying. Why did this chapter feel so light and heavy at the same time? But, also, I'm glad I was able to share this story with you, it truly makes me happy to be able to show you all of this. Please review! And still, send me your pairing OTP's! I love hearing them. Romance isn't centered in this story, but it can be an endgame if I see it fitting in with the ending I have in mind. Thanks!**

**RR!**

**-Tiny**


End file.
